Made For Each Other
by gawilliams
Summary: Bones decided she wants to do a little matchmaking for Castle and Beckett. Booth and Bones are in a relationship. Crossover with Castle.
1. Chapter 1

_Lately I've been enjoying the show Castle and wanted to try my hand at a fanfic on that one, but decided to write it as a crossover with Bones. There are only five chapters to this one, and I will post the other four depending on how well this one goes over with the readers. This first chapter is a scene between Booth and Bones discussing Beckett and Castle, who had come to DC to consult on a serial killer that had been found adding to his body count in the DC area. I hope you all enjoy this one. Gregg._

_Disclaimer: I don't own, or profit from, these characters or franchise. No copyright infringement is intended._

"We should have had them help us on this," Booth said with a mock glare at his partner, best friend, and now girlfriend.

"We don't need their help," Bones said from her desk without looking up. She continued typing rapidly on her laptop. She smirked at his attitude. She was the one who did most of the paperwork on their cases unless gunfire was involved during the course of the investigation, so she didn't see what he had to complain about. Long ago she'd accepted that, and rather enjoyed just having him there for company while she did their paperwork.

"Bones," Booth sighed from behind several boxes of Thai takeout. "It's now 2 in the morning. We are nowhere near done with the paperwork, and you're saying we don't need any help?"

"We would have been done some time ago if someone hadn't been more interested in making out on the couch," she pointed out logically. "Besides which, I assume that they have a great deal of their own paperwork to do for the New York Police Department."

"It was a motivational exercise," he clarified, a smile on his face. "And they could have at least offered to help," he grumbled good naturedly.

Bones stopped typing. "Motivational?" she asked, clearly amused.

"Of course," he told her, making a show of picking up a file and determinedly flipping to a photograph.

"So that's what they call simultaneous oral sex now," she grinned.

"69, Bones," he told her with a chuckle. "And remember the rule. No squint talk when discussing foreplay or sex."

"Foreplay is sex," Bones responded logically.

"No, Bones," he told her. "For me, foreplay is only one bite of the taco. Why settle for that when I can have the _whole_ taco."

Her lightening fast mind caught him in a fun innuendo, and she decided to pounce on it. "So you're comparing my genitalia to a food item you purchase from Taco Bell?" she asked.

His jaw hung down in shock. She'd still used some squint talk, but she'd actually made a damn good joke! "Just returning the favor, Babe," he reminded her. "Or don't you remember ordering me to haul out Jr. the other night for some attention and calling him _your_ **LONG, THICK, TASTY ZUCCHINI**? Using a possessive, too, Bones. Naughty, Naughty." He wasn't about to tell her that when she'd said that he'd almost strutted around the room like one seriously proud peacock. As it was Jr. had given an extra generous performance that night.

"Men are supposed to be flattered with such complimentary comparisons," she argued. "Women are degraded when it is done to them in return," she added in a totally nonsensical rebuttal. Booth loved Mexican food almost as much as he loved Thai, so him comparing her most intimate bit to his favorite Mexican dish was flattering in her opinion. Not that she'd ever tell him that. He was too willing to use her words against her. "And while using a possessive in relation to your genitalia is somewhat arcane and degrading, I can't help how I feel. If some other woman tried to have it, you don't want to know the consequences. Especially to you."

Even though he would never dream of cheating on Bones, he cringed at the mental image of what she would do to him if he did. There wouldn't be enough evidence to convict a flea, let alone a jealousy crazed Forensic Anthropologist girlfriend. The one sliver of a silver lining in that statement of hers, though, was the strong implied commitment to monogamy. That was one Hell of a victory in his opinion.

"What do you think of Beckett and Castle?" Bones asked when she decided he didn't want to risk answering her joke. Her skills at teasing him and making jokes must be improving, she mused.

"They're good," Booth admitted as he booted up his laptop and networked with hers so he could follow what she was working on. He was very careful about his networking as she had let him know he would have no gonads left if he tried to get into any of her non-work related files which contained the drafts of her new novels. "He's a bit flaky, but looks outside the box. His _**stories**_ seem to move the investigations along."

"Beckett has a very analytical mind," Bones said approvingly.

"They're a good Yin and Yang," Booth agreed. He'd thought Castle was a nut when he started spouting out possible scenarios, and Bones had given the guy the iciest glare he'd ever seen her give anyone, but he had to admit that the man had been dead on in the end. Bones still had a bit of a hard time accepting any kind of theorizing without any supporting science to back it up.

"You should have let me remove him from the Lab," Bones said with a glare in Booth's direction.

"You would have thrown him off the platform head first, Bones!" Booth argued. "And he was right!"

"He was lucky," Bones shot back.

"I don't think so, Bones," Booth replied. "I had a talk with their colleagues in New York. Esposito said the guy's rarely wrong."

"They certainly argue a lot," Bones continued.

"So do we," Booth reminded her.

"We bicker, Booth, not argue," she rationalized.

"Don't tell Sweets this, but bickering is arguing, Bones," he told her sympathetically. He loathed the idea of letting the twelve year old know that he agreed with him on anything. It would mess up the perfect Therapist/Patient dynamic they had going.

"So when we bickered the other night on what panties would be the most comfortable for a woman in an everyday setting, we were really arguing?" she asked, a smile on her face. It was amazing to her the variety of subjects that they would go off on tangents about.

"It wasn't bickering or arguing, Bones," he told her. "I'm not a woman so there's nothing I could legitimately argue on the subject. It was simply an intellectual musing on an important subject."

"Castle would have argued the point," she told him.

"If I find him debating anything having to do with your clothes, body, or sex with you I'll rip his nuts off," Booth told her self-righteously.

"I don't think Beckett would appreciate that," Bones said as she saved the last of the paperwork and sent it off to Hacker's e-mail.

"They're not involved, Bones," he told her. He was damn sure of that.

"So they're like we were before we started our relationship," Bones mused.

"Exactly," Booth replied.

"Perhaps we should talk to them and see if we can get them together," Bones mused.

"Excuse me?" Booth asked, quite stunned. "Did you just suggest that we do a little matchmaking?"

Bones chuckled. It was such an Angela thing to do that she could understand his shock, especially as she had a very definite negative view of such activities in ordinary circumstances. "Yes," she replied simply.

"Uh, why?" he asked, now very confused. He almost turned on the news to see if the world was coming to an end or something equally horrendous to be causing Bones to want to play matchmaker.

"Because I'm not clueless, Booth," she told him, dropping the humor and adopting a serious tone. "I can see that they are very good together. They complement each other, not only professionally, but personally, too. Castle is obviously in love with her. Beckett is still trying to understand it. In many ways I see the two of us early on in them. We made a lot of mistakes with each other, Booth, and wasted so much time. Would it be so terrible to see if we can possibly help two others avoid the hurt and anguish we caused each other and went through?"

"No," he conceded. "It wouldn't be terrible at all. But they have a lot of issues to work through, and some of them we didn't have."

"Like what?" she asked.

"The big one is money," he informed her.

"But we had that issue, too, Booth," she reminded him as she shut down her laptop and then went over and sat down next to him on the sofa, leaning into him slightly, loving the warmth of him that seemed to radiate in waves whenever she was near.

"But by and large you live simply, Bones," Booth told her. "Yeah, you're a millionaire a whole bunch of times over, but with the exception of your artwork and artifacts, no one could tell it just by looking at you. Castle, though, is just as rich, but is a really flamboyant guy. Beckett is a working stiff like me, and while it wasn't easy for me to understand that my pride was fucked up on this one, it'll be a Hell of a lot harder for her. It'll be staring at her in the face at every turn."

Bones nodded slightly, understanding the point, and seeing the logic in it. "What else?" she asked.

"He's basing a series of novels on her, and isn't just using her as a template, but is actively around her for research while they solve cases and everything," he observed. "For all our differences Bones, and no matter how much Andy Lister is based on me, your writing is a sideline for you, a way to deal with all that you see and experience. For him it's his career. Is she ready to make such a transition?"

"Were you upset that I waited until we were involved before admitting I based Andy on you?" she asked.

"No," he told her after a minute. "I already had that one figured out, just like everyone else who knows us. I just figured that you would tell me when you were ready."

She breathed a sigh of relief. She knew how he felt about honesty and integrity. He'd never asked her bluntly if he was Andy, so she'd used his meandering manner about asking about it to avoid answering it with complete honesty.

"Do you think they should be together?" she asked him.

"Despite all that I just said, yeah," he responded. "I do. And I think it would work out for them."

"Then can we help them?" she asked, very seriously.

"We can talk to them when we have lunch before taking them to the airport," he conceded. He would never understand Bones. She would always surprise him. _Matchmaking?!?!?! _Who would have ever guessed.

Bones got a grin on her face. "How about we go back to my place and you can work on finishing your taco?" she purred, a twinkle of lust, and also love, in her eyes.

Booth jumped up with enthusiasm. "After the talk we just had?" he winked. "I may just need a couple of helpings."

"My thoughts exactly, my long, thick, tasty zucchini," she winked with a deliberate look at his growing bulge as she grabbed her purse and walked out of the office, a definite "come and get it" sway to her hips.

"I knew we were made for each other," Booth said under his breath as he rushed out after her. Castle and Beckett could wait until later. Now he was hungry for a spicy Mexican dish. Bones was as spicy as they came, in his opinion.

_A/N: As this is a crossover, I wanted the opening chapter to be more Booth/Bones oriented. Whether I continue or let this be a standalone will depend on the reviews. I don't ordinarily beg, plead, or ask fro much in the way of reviews, though I deeply appreciate and love all the reviews I get, but on this one I want to know if this crossover is a good idea. If it continues, the next chapter will be Castle and Beckett discussing Booth and Bones, while, naturally, remaining oblivious as to their own situation. I hope you all enjoyed this one. Gregg._


	2. Chapter 2

_I'm glad that you enjoyed the first chapter of this one. This chapter is the next morning, but is a conversation between Castle and Beckett. I hope you enjoy it. Gregg._

_Disclaimer: I don't own, or profit from, these characters or franchise. No copyright infringement is intended._

Rock Castle roused himself from his bed and smiled. The sun was out already, and the case had been solved. No small amount of the credit was his, naturally, and a good deal of fodder for his next Nikki Heat novel had been uncovered. He was definitely going to be doing some research into Forensic Anthropology given the incredible way in which Dr. Brennan and her fellow scientists at the Jeffersonian had come to their conclusions, which had backed up his entire story behind the crime. Quickly dressing, he grabbed his jacket and strode right over to the connecting door to Beckett's room and swung it open.

"CASTLE!" shrieked Beckett as she hastily closed her robe which she was just then pulling off after a long, and relaxing shower. It had been a late night working on paperwork, and naturally Castle was no help at all. He'd simply sat there watching her intensely. God he was so aggravating! If he wasn't so damn sexy she'd beat him to death. "Don't you know how to knock???"

"And miss such a lovely sight?" he grinned. "You should know me better than that my dear Detective Beckett."

She made a show of grabbing her clothes and stomping off to the bathroom to change. She wasn't really mad at him. This was the kind of teenage behavior she could expect from Castle, yet at the same time she knew that when it came down to it, he really did care about her and wouldn't let things get too out of hand. If she had asked him to leave the room, she knew that he would have, and would have added an apology, too. Taking a few minutes to do her hair and minimal makeup, she went back out into the bedroom area and found him glancing at the crime scene photos again.

"In case you missed the memo, Castle, the case is solved and closed," she deadpanned. "I have the cramps in my fingers from all the paperwork to prove it."

"That and the serial killer in FBI custody," Castle smiled. "I was only looking the photos over to see if it was anything that I might consider using in my next book."

She hid a smile. She'd been a huge fan of his novels, particularly the Derrick Storm novels, for the long time, and had secretly loved the first Nikki Heat novel. The fact that he wanted to do two more, and if she was correct a number more beyond that, excited her. It was hard to believe that she was his muse.

"What are you doing here, Castle?" she asked. "I would have figured you would be sleeping until just before we have to leave for the airport."

"And not spend the morning mesmerized by your beauty and magnetism?" he teased. Her arched brow told him to be serious for a moment. "I thought you might enjoy some breakfast."

"Not room service?" she asked suspiciously.

"Absolutely not," he replied. "I was thinking the main restaurant where we could sit in a comfy booth and exchange loving glances while holding hands under the table."

"Take hold of my hand and you'll be wearing a cast for a month nursing a broken wrist, Castle," she said as she grabbed her purse. "As for the loving glances, go for it, but don't expect any in return."

"But that leaves the door open to many possibilities, such as loving glances from me," he grinned as they walked down the hall to the elevator. "So what did you think of the people at the Jeffersonian?" he asked as the door closed on them. He pressed the button for the ground floor.

"They're very good," Beckett replied. "Lanie would go nuts with all that specialized equipment. I don't think she'd ever leave."

"Not even for a hot date?" he teased with a waggle of his brows.

"That might be the only exception," she allowed with a grin. "What did you think of Dr. Brennan and Special Agent Booth?" That had been something she'd been genuinely curious about as Castle was damn good at reading people, though he wasn't perfect.

Castle was about to reply when the elevator doors opened and he decided to hold his comment until they were in the restaurant in a private booth. Beckett seemed to understand and nodded in agreement. A man at the reservations desk took them right to a back booth which afforded a great deal of privacy, but not so much that Beckett was uncomfortable. She was struggling with her feelings for Castle. The idea of being involved with such a flamboyant man was a bit intimidating, and there was the pesky little fact that she worked with him. No that wasn't right. He worked with her. That wasn't right, either. He followed her every move, invaded her personal space, and injected himself into police investigations to get material for his novel based on her. That was it. Besides, while she knew he cared about her, why on Earth would he want to be with her when he could just make a phone call and have any woman he wanted in his bed? How could she possibly compete with all that? Still, he was loyal, and he'd proven that he genuinely cared.

"So, Booth and Brennan?" she pressed as she opened her menu. She grimaced at the high prices, but she knew he would insist on picking up the tab, as embarrassing as that was.

"They make a great couple," Castle replied. Then his eyes got mischievous. "I bet the sex between them is ultra HOT!"

"Down boy, or I may have to cuff you," she mildly reprimanded, though she was amused.

"Ooh! Does that mean you're going to spank me for being a bad boy?" he asked in that excited tone he got sometimes that was so confusing. He could either be entirely serious, or he was joking. With that tone it was impossible to be sure.

"Using a leather paddle with sharpened studs," she whispered throatily as she leaned over to give back as good as she got.

"I think I see the merits in being a very good boy, Beckett," he said as his mind visualized the hamburger his ass would be turned into with such an implement.

"You can be such a wimp sometimes, Castle," Beckett shot back, a grin on her face as she visualized some Dom doing that to him. She still was amused over the time they had to investigate that domination club.

"No, I just have a very high sense of self-preservation," he replied, his warm smile now in place rather than the rakish, macho grin he usually wore. He leaned back when the waiter showed up and they ordered. Once that was out of the way he leaned forward again. "I think that those two are likely the best criminal investigators that I've ever seen," he admitted.

"I beg your pardon?" Beckett asked with a raised brow.

"No offense, Kate," he hurriedly assured her, using her name to let her know he was serious.

She glared at him for a moment, but relented. He was right. Booth and Brennan were incredible investigators. "Reasons?" she asked.

"They each bring valuable skills to the table," Castle explained. "Booth brings a very good intuition, and an ability to connect the dots very well by thinking outside the box. He doesn't discount the science, though, and that only enhances his perception. Brennan is a genius. It's that simple. She is able to analyze something in seconds that would take anyone else hours to do, if not days. If it takes her a long while, you can only imagine the nightmare it would be for anyone else. Her team of experts are all superb, and have a very tight knit core feeling for one another. All of that would be good on it's own, but they have something we don't."

Beckett glared. "I'm not going to sleep with you just so we can be like them, Castle," she told him. Not that she doesn't dream of it, and have almost daily fantasies about being in bed with him, but that was make believe, wasn't it?

"I wasn't looking at that element of their partnership, Kate," he told her, amused at how focused she was on his possible insinuations. That bore some further examination once they were back in New York. "I was getting at the fact that that team has been working together for a number of years now. It like a symbiotic effect for them now. I dare say that it will be like that for our group if we hang in there that long."

Kate nodded, pondering the possibility of not being a team with Castle at some point if he decided he had enough for his Nikki Heat novels. It caused a bit of emotional pain. The more she thought about it, the more she wanted the professional stability that Booth and Brennan had.

"What about her books?" Kate asked curiously. She knew that Castle read voraciously, and wanted to know if he'd read any of Brennan's novels. She had and enjoyed them. They were well written, and the mysteries were superb. She still preferred Castle's novels, though.

"The novels are well written and full of detail," Castle critiqued. "They provide a solid character base and develop those characters in such a way that in recurring characters you are always learning something new in each novel. She is likely one of the top three or four novelists I've ever known."

That one caught Kate off guard. The man knew more top flight authors than she had friends, and he was saying that Brennan was in the top three or four??? She would have to go back and reread the woman's novels. Maybe she had missed something.

"They sure took their time to get involved," Beckett commented. That was something that had surprised her. The two had such incredible chemistry, yet it had taken them nearly five years to get together. Five years??? From what she understood, Brennan had held very casual views about sex, and had not been terribly discreet at times when it came to her sexual flings. She could only imagine how Booth had felt, though Angela Montenegro had said that after the second year of the partnership Brennan had rarely been sexually involved with anyone. In fact she could only recall a couple of men with any certainty, and possibly one other, but it was not certain on that one.

"Booth was too damn honorable for too damn long," Castle postulated.

"Excuse me?" she asked.

"They each wanted the other, but he drew some illusory line about partners not being involved sometime in the middle of the second year they were partners," Castle explained. "From what I've been told he considers that the biggest mistake he's ever made, and Brennan to this day still refuses to discuss it with anyone."

"I can see that a line like that may serve a useful purpose," Kate offered.

"Kate, no one would dream of splitting up a partnership like that, and if the feelings are already there, then no line on Earth could prevent the emotional devastation that would occur if something happened to the other," Castle explained his view patiently.

"I guess if you put it that way it does sound pretty ridiculous," she conceded grudgingly.

They didn't say much more since their breakfast arrived and they ate in relative silence, looking at each other with some intensity the whole time. Neither knew that the other was thinking the same thing. Namely that perhaps a relationship between them could be possible. It just seemed so impractical. He was wealthy and a real social whirlwind. She was a working woman who lived paycheck to paycheck and enjoyed a nice night in. And their arguing? It was constant, despite the intensely passionate undertone that each had felt at different times. When they left the restaurant to head back up to their rooms she invited him in as she was packed and ready. Some company would be nice.

"I need to call Alexa and let her know I'll be back this afternoon," he begged off. "Then I could use another nap before Booth and Brennan come and get us. It was a long night, you know."

Beckett laughed as she began to close the door to her room. "One of these days, Castle, you will do your fair share of the paperwork," she warned him. Then she closed the door and smiled. Despite Castle seeing a full frontal shot of her nude, which he obviously enjoyed if his smile and widening eyes were anything to go by, she'd had a good morning. She pulled out her cell phone and called the one person she wanted to talk to now.

"Hi Dad," she said warmly. If Castle needed to hear his daughter's voice, then she needed to hear her Father's. Maybe they weren't so different after all.

_A/N: So there it is. The second chapter of this, and the first time I've ever written anything with Castle and Beckett in the dialogue. I hope it was a close approximation and that you all enjoyed it. The next chapter will be the conversation that Booth and Bones have at the airport with Castle and Beckett. Thanks for all the great reviews on the first chapter. Gregg._


	3. Chapter 3

_I'm thrilled that everyone is enjoying this one. It's been interesting to write, and I think I'm getting a better handle not only on the lead characters in Castle, but also Booth and Bones. In this one we see a conversation between the two couples. Gregg._

_Disclaimer: I don't own, or profit from, these characters or franchise. No copyright infringement is intended._

"Why aren't the two of you in a relationship with each other?" Bones asked bluntly as they took a seat in the First Class lounge at the airport.

Booth wanted to sink into the floor. _**This**_ was what Bones considered matchmaking??? "Bones?" he managed to croak out. "I think we definitely need to give you more lessons on subtlety."

"I don't believe in subtlety," she argued the point, ignoring the flummoxed look on Castle and Beckett's faces.

"I think that's pretty obvious by now, Bones," Booth grumbled. He looked up and saw the expressions on their counterparts faces. He had to admit that it was a pretty funny sight.

Castle was the first to recover the power of speech. He couldn't remember the last time anything had made him speechless, but this had done it. Then he decided to turn the tables. "I could ask you why five years," he shot back with his own little smirk. The swift kick in the shins from Beckett was the only indication that she was back in the real world.

"Castle!" she hissed. "Don't be rude!"

"It was a legitimate question," Bones said promptly.

Booth leaned over and addressed his question at Beckett. "How does it feel to have a partner with no discretion?" he asked, and winced as he now got a kick to the shins, only his was from Bones.

"I can be discreet," Bones glared at Booth.

"And so can I," Castle added, his words addressed towards Beckett.

"It can be pretty annoying," Beckett replied with perfect timing. "You should have seen him in a Dominatrix club during a recent case."

"I was the epitome of decorum," Castle defended himself.

"You and the boys were drooling, Castle," Beckett reminded him, correcting the inaccurate version of events.

"And you had a wicked, wanton gleam in your eyes that told what you really like," Castle joked, enjoying the humor of the whole thing.

"Maybe we should visit such an establishment, Booth," Bones suggested, a gleam in her eyes. She would love to see Booth's reaction to such a place.

"Absolutely not," Booth said with as much dignity as he could muster. He'd known that telling Bones that they could do a little matchmaking would turn out to be an embarrassing nightmare.

"The two of you sure argue a lot," Beckett observed with a smile.

"I consider it foreplay," Bones said with a triumphant look on her face. She'd always loved making Booth all flustered. Now she was able to sooth him afterwards in all sorts of fun and satisfying ways.

"OKAY!" Booth said at that point. "This has gone way beyond anything we had thought of discussing. Bones, we will definitely be reviewing appropriate and inappropriate public conversation topics. Sex clubs and foreplay are definitely on the inappropriate list."

"So discussing the negative effects of inorganically raised foods on your genitalia is inappropriate?" she asked with an innocent expression on her face, but her eyes were pure evil, casting their gleam down on his burger and then shifting to his hidden groin.

"DEFINITELY!" Booth hissed, not catching the look in her eyes. He made a note that matchmaking was now strictly forbidden when it came to Bones being the matchmaker.

"Maybe five years to get together wasn't so long after all," Castle observed.

"Yeah," Beckett said as she observed the brilliant crime solving duo. She leaned over. "You eat a lot of processed foods, Castle, and inorganic products."

"Mr. Happy is just fine and does not need to benefit from organic foods, Kate," he said with a little bit of a sweat. He made a note to check into the research that Brennan was obviously referring to. If paying a little more for his food would let Mr. Happy _**stay "happy"**_ then he was damn well going to spend the money. "You're more than welcome to examine him if you're so concerned."

Kate blushed deeply. She didn't often blush, and certainly not for Castle, but she'd walked right into that one and wasn't prepared for his comeback. "In your dreams, Castle," she told him though her active imagination was working overtime thinking of actually examining "Mr. Happy" as he called his manhood.

"Getting back to appropriate topics of conversation," Booth finally interjected after Bones had made it clear with her eyes that if he didn't get on the stick and do his part in this whole matchmaking business she would continue to give it her all to make him want to hide his head in the sand for all eternity, "though in the future matchmaking may be on the list of no no's," he added with a pointed look at Bones, who glared back at him, "we've noticed that the two of you are a lot like we were when we were first working together."

"And we think that the two of you could possibly avoid a lot of the problems we faced by denying what we felt for so long," Bones added.

"What makes you think that me and Castle are going to be in a relationship," Beckett questioned them. She had the distinct feeling that this was exactly the same question that Booth and Brennan had asked when they had been in denial for so long. But she and Castle weren't in denial, were they?

"And if we were going to be, why would we be avoiding it now?" Castle asked. He had his own suspicions about how obvious his own feelings for Beckett were, especially given all the shit that he took from Ryan, Esposito, and Lanie, not to mention Alexis and his Mother, on the subject.

"One clue is how often you vehemently deny being attracted to each other," Bones pointed out logically. While she and Booth had never actually denied an attraction, they left it very ill-defined and vague, outside of the obvious sexual sparks. They could explain those away by claiming simple lust.

"How much do the two of you argue?" Booth asked.

"We don't argue, we bicker," Castle responded. He was the wordsmith of the two, so it was up to him to make the linguistic distinctions. Besides, he wanted to leave Beckett as much of an out as possible. Long term was much different than the here and now, after all. He was posturing, and patiently waiting, for the long term.

"All the time, but we develop ideas and solve cases that way," Beckett added. She enjoyed the banter and bickering with Castle. It had a definite positive for them, professionally and personally. Quite simply, she couldn't do without it.

Booth and Bones looked at each other and smiled a bit, knowing the feeling.

"I assume that each of you has dated others since you've known each other," Bones continued.

Booth was impressed. Bones was, in essence, conducting a very effective interrogation. By the look on Beckett's face, he could tell that that fact wasn't lost on the detective. Maybe he should look into letting Bones lead some interrogations in the future. With him in the room, of course to pick up the slack in case she tanks like the one time she'd done so before.

"Yes," Castle and Beckett replied at the same time, the reluctance to say anything apparent in the tone and slow delivery. Also the way they studiously avoided each other's eyes when they said it.

"And you felt like some guy was getting in the way of something important?" Booth looked at Castle. "Like something that was special, and yours, was being taken away?"

"Yes," Castle squirmed.

Beckett looked at Castle in shock. She had no idea that he had felt like that when she'd dated in the last year and a half. Granted it hadn't been often at all, rare in fact, but the idea that Castle had been _**jealous**_ was a revelation.

"And I'm sure that when he has been with other women you haven't liked it?" Bones asked Beckett. "I know when Booth was out with a woman I felt like I was less than I was, however illogical that may be. I considered him mine, even if I denied it in my mind, and also denied when anyone questioned me about what I felt about him dating, and possibly sleeping with some other woman."

Beckett could think of several women Castle had likely been to bed with since she'd known him, and each time had made her blood boil. He was better than that, and she felt that she should be the one to be showing him that kind of affection, even if she refused to verbally acknowledge those feelings. She'd also spent a great deal of time squelching those thoughts. When Alexis' mother had been in town, and Castle had admitted sleeping with that witch, Beckett had been _extremely _jealous. She'd put up a good front, but there was no denying how she'd felt about him bedding his ex.

"No I don't like it," she admitted, avoiding Castle's intense look.

Booth and Bones spent about twenty minutes relating, in a limited, but revealing, fashion the five years of personal turmoil that they each created for themselves and the other by denying what was staring them right in the face. It wasn't pretty, and each cringed a bit when particularly painful memories surfaced, such as Bones dating Hacker for a short time (though Booth breathed, once more, a thankful sigh of relief that she hadn't slept with that putz), and Bones glaring when Perotta was mentioned. It was obvious to both Castle and Beckett that these two were those unique individuals who genuinely belonged together and were worse apart than they were together. It amazed them that after all of that they they managed to get together.

"The real point of all this is that if we can see the chemistry between you two, then pretty much everyone can," Booth explained. "If you two decide not to do anything about it, then that's fine. But don't put yourselves through what we went through. Make a decision and change your dynamics to fit your decision. You'll be better partners in the end, and better friends."

"I don't believe in psychology, but what Booth says is true," Bones added. "It took us almost ending our partnership to make us face what we have."

"You almost split up your partnership?" Beckett asked, the incredulous look on her face matching the one on Castle's.

"That's when Booth grew a set and confronted me," Bones admitted.

"I already had a set, Bones," he reminded her. He was also surprised that she'd used the popular colloquialism. And correctly!"

"_Flight 319 for New York now boarding First Class._"

They all stood.

"Just think about what we said," Booth suggested.

Castle and Beckett nodded in agreement, both lost in their own thoughts. It was going to be an interesting flight back, and an even more interesting next few days. They shook hands with the Agent and Anthropologist and made their way to the boarding gate.

"Do you think they'll get together?" Bones asked as they got into the SUV to head back to her place.

"I don't know, Bones, but I think so," Booth replied. "You know, Bones, I think you were right to want to talk to them about this."

"Really?" Bones asked curiously. She'd felt it was the right thing to do, but she still preferred going by Booth's perceptions on the personal issues.

"Mm hmm," he said a bit nonchalantly. "Maybe if our friends had been more direct when they kept dropping hints we would have avoided all that stuff over the last few years."

"Perhaps," Bones mused. "But we're having fun making up for lost time, now, though," she said with a smile and a little bit of a sidewards glance, her eyes taking in Booth's profile."Turn on the siren, Booth," she told him.

"What?" he asked, not glancing at her, noting the leering gaze. "Oh," he said in a knowing tone. He reached over and flicked on the siren. "Hungry, Bones?" he asked with a waggle of his brows.

"For some more helpings of my favorite vegetable," Bones said in a husky tone.  
"And what's that?" Booth asked, loving how she was in a teasing mood, and knowing what she was going to say.

"Zucchini," Bones said as Booth pressed down on the accelerator and sped down the highway.

"As long as I get some taco, Bones," Booth said with a laugh, and they both laughed as they hurried back to her place. A person gets hungry with all this matchmaking business, after all.

_A/N: Kind of a lame ending, but once the conversation between the two couples is done, there isn't much needed for this chapter. The next chapter will be some more time between Castle and Beckett and how they're dealing with the conversation with Booth and Bones. Thank you for the great reviews on this story. Gregg._


	4. Chapter 4

_Thank you for the great reviews of the last chapter. This one is primarily between Castle and Beckett, but Ryan and Esposito are in it as well. The next chapter, which will also be the last one in this story, will have Booth and Bones in it again. I hope you enjoy this one. Gregg._

_Disclaimer: I don't own, or profit from, these characters or franchise. No copyright infringement is intended._

"You know they're going to want details," Castle remarked as the plane landed. He kind of relished the attention that their friends at the precinct lavished on them, though now that he was seriously looking at the possibility of being with Beckett, he was feeling a twinge of discomfort at the attention.

"Lanie makes those two gossip mongers look like schoolgirl amateurs when it comes to gossip," Beckett told him. Lanie would be all over her wanting to know if she had done the deed with Castle. Lanie was always going on and on about how great it would be, and that she could have a vicarious sex life through listening to Kate wax poetic on the totally Earth shattering sex with Castle. Kate hadn't thought that it would be possible to meet anyone like Lanie, but Angela Montenegro at the Jeffersonian was even worse. The Hell that woman put Booth and Brennan through made Lanie look like an amateur. She halted, rooted to her spot. "Oh my God!" she hissed. Her tone was anything but nice.

"What?" Castle asked, then he saw what she was glaring at. There before them were Ryan, Esposito, Lanie, his daughter Alexis, and his Mother Martha. They were all grinning like Cheshire Cats and had a sign that had in big, bold letters "**WELCOME HOME CASTLE & BECKETT: THE HAPPY COUPLE!!!**"

"I can't believe this! First Booth and Brennan, and now these guys," Kate grumbled. She wasn't upset about Booth and Brennan. Those two had genuinely been trying to offer some good advice, and she had to admit that what they'd said made a great deal of sense. But that was between Castle and herself. Not this group.

"At least they don't have a How's The Honeymoon? sign," Castle commented.

"I'd blame you if they did," she told him through gritted teeth. "Okay, let's get this over with," she ordered. "And if you do anything out of line, or, for that matter, anything that embarrasses me, I'll make sure that Mr. Happy has a permanent name change to Mr. Stubby."

Castle cringed at that mental image. "Are you channeling your inner Dominatrix?" he jokingly asked.

"I don't know, Castle. Have you been a bad boy who needs punished?" she teased right back, knowing he'd teased her to lighten her mood as they reached their friends, and his family.

"All right, Girlfriend," Lanie said instantly when they got there before he had a chance to reply. "How's Writer Boy here in the sack?"

"I definitely do not need to hear an answer to that," Alexis said as she hugged her Dad hard. "So did you and Kate finally hook up, Daddy?" she asked, a twinkle in her eye. She may not want the X-rated version, that was just too disturbing to put into words, but a little bit of info would be nice.

"And how much room service was called in for breakfast and dinner?" Ryan asked, a grinning nod from Esposito telling them that they wanted the dirt, too.

"Nothing happened," Kate said firmly.

Lanie, Ryan, and Esposito looked crushed.

"Damn!" Lanie said. "Now I owe the Captain a hundred dollars!"

"Me and Ryan owe him three hundred each," Esposito said with a shake of his head. He looked at Castle. "Dude, you're letting your bros down hard."

Martha chuckled at the antics of the younger generation. Personally she thought that Kate Beckett was perfect for her wildly successful son. He needed some grounding and a solid foundation to build a real life with. This overarching fantasy life he'd built for himself, no matter how good a Father he was to Alexis, simply could not last forever.

"All right, Darlings," she said when she felt that her son and Kate had had enough. "I think that the happy couple have other, more important, things to be doing than standing in the middle of an airport being interrogated."

"Thank you, Mother," Castle said with relief. He could always count on his Mother to come through when it really counted.

"Thanks, Martha," Kate added.

"Don't thank me yet, Richard," Martha replied with a wicked gleam in her eyes. "I moved back in yesterday, so we will be having a talk about all this, but privately."

"I'm glad your back, Mother," Castle said as he leaned over and gave her a kiss on the cheek. He really was happy that she was moving back in. When she'd left this last time, he'd realized that he did indeed enjoy having her living in his home. It was good for Alexis, and he had to admit that he'd gotten a lot out of it himself. She was also a very good sounding board about his feelings for Beckett.

"And as for you, Kate, I'll talk with you when I take you to lunch tomorrow," she directed a look at the flustered detective. "Say one o'clock at Mama Leoni's?"

"Lunch sounds great, Martha," Kate said with a smile, though she directed a quick glare at Castle. She silently told him that they had damn well better deal with this whole albatross today before she was interrogated the next afternoon over lunch at the excellent Italian restaurant.

"Ryan, Esposito, would you be so kind as to take me and my granddaughter home? I think Richard and Kate have some things to discuss," Martha turned her attention to the two detectives. "Lanie? Did these two give you a ride, or did you drive yourself?" she asked.

"I've got my own wheels," Lanie said as she gave an amused look at Castle and her girl Kate.

"Let's go children," Martha gave the imperial command, and then grabbed Alexis and walked towards the exit.

"Details tomorrow while Beckett's at lunch," Esposito stage whispered to Castle and then got yanked away by Lanie, Ryan following closely.

"Booth and Brennan put up with five years of this before waking up to reality?" Beckett questioned as she and Castle were left there, more or less in a state of shock.

"My Mother moved back in," Castle said, a slight blanch to his complexion as he imagined the grilling he'd get when he got home later.

"Come on, Castle," Kate said as she grabbed her suitcase and carry on. "Let's go to my place. We have to talk about this."

"Yeah," Castle agreed. He only hoped that this would be resolved like he would like it to be.

The ride to Beckett's new apartment she'd had for a couple of months now since her last one was blown up, was pretty quiet. Neither wanted to have this discussion in the car, so they each kept to their own thoughts.

For Kate, it boiled down to her own fears of where her feelings really were. There was no denying Castle's obvious appeal. No sane woman could deny that, and Kate Beckett was definitely sane. The problem was that she couldn't figure out if her feelings were wrapped up in the importance that Castle's books held for her in the aftermath of her Mother's murder, or if she really was falling for him now that she knew him personally and was working with him. It wouldn't be fair to begin something and not have honest feelings for the man. Castle had proven that he deserved better then that. It looked like it was time to be somewhat honest with him.

Castle, on the other hand, was wondering if he was capable of being what Beckett needed. He knew that his feelings for her were genuine, and probably the most genuine that he'd ever felt for a woman. He'd once said that when he married Alexis' mother that it had felt like the right thing to do. There was that word. Felt. There was something lacking in that word. It didn't have the certainty and finality that the phrase **I **_**know**_ would have when being asked about something that important. But Beckett needed more that simply someone who had a reputation like his. She deserved to have someone who could provide her with the emotional support that her job and background would need. He had the empathy, but what did it say when he needed his daughter's inadvertent advice to be able to make things right with Beckett after he'd betrayed her trust like he had in looking into her Mother's murder? This was going to be a very interesting conversation.

Kate opened the door to her apartment and they walked in. She was still getting used to the new place. It was in a better part of town, and a larger apartment. The insurance settlement on the previous apartment, as well as a subsidy by the NYPD due to how the other place had been lost, allowed her to upgrade to this three bedroom apartment. In the living room she had two bookshelves on the wall where she held her pictures. On them she had the entire set of books that Castle had written. When she had survived the explosion, but her beloved books had not, Castle had given her replacement copies. And not just any copies. He gave her his personal copies with her personal bookplate in each of them. Each one also had a personal note and his autograph. She'd been overwhelmed when he'd given them to her and she realized that they weren't just copies he'd picked up at the bookstore.

"Give me a minute and I'll be right back," she told him as she took her luggage back to her bedroom. She'd turned one of the bedrooms into a mini crime reconstruction office where she had a matching white board like at work. If she felt like continuing work on a case once she got home, she was able to. Castle also came over sometimes and it was nice to be able to have a common point of reference when things began to get a little too close. It brought a smile to her face that they would now be confronting that very closeness. Coming back into the living room she saw castle sitting on the couch, a glass of ice water in front of him, and a second one on the coffee table. She sat down and took a sip of the cold water.

"I assume since Mr. Happy is alive and well that I did alright at the airport?" Castle opened with a joke.

Kate laughed. She'd used the half threat more as a way of easing the tenseness at the airport than anything, and she was glad the he had taken it as such. "Yeah, you did pretty good," she informed him. "My inner Dominatrix is going to remain hidden for another time, I guess."

"Do you think they were right?" Castle asked.

Kate knew that there were only two people he was referring to. Booth and Brennan. "Are they right about what could happen if we don't deal with this?" she asked rhetorically, and then answered her own question. "Yeah, they are. There's no way we could get through five years of this like they did."

"I know," Castle agreed. He was still amazed that those two had finally gotten together after so long a time of mutually making a mess of the personal dynamic, at least in so far as a relationship was concerned.

"I'm really unsure about this, Castle," Kate admitted.

"Look, Kate, for me this is pretty much up to you," Castle told her. "I won't deny that I've been pretty brazen and made some really inept decisions in my personal life. Alexis' mother Meredith comes quickly to mind on that. I'm sure of my feelings for you, and for the first time in my life I _**know**_ that this is right. But I also know that I can be a real idiot at times."

"I won't disagree with you there, Castle," Kate smiled. "I just wish I was as sure as you seem to be."

"What aren't you sure about?" he asked. He hoped that his one hangup about this, not being able to be the kind of support structure she needed, was not what she was concerned about.

"Is what I feel for you real," she replied, a bit awkwardly as it sounded horrible, but it was the truth.

Castle didn't blink. "What do you mean?" he asked.

Kate took a deep breath. "When my Mom was murdered I was lost for a long time," she began. "I buried myself in work, shunned anything to do with the outside world, except for my Dad, and pretty much became a narrow, angry workaholic. I had no outlet. No escape from the nightmare that life had become."

"That's understandable, Kate," Castle told her. She'd mentioned in brief snippets how driven she'd become in finding her Mother's killer, so this was adding some contour to the story.

"Dad got worried," Kate continued. "I used to enjoy reading, and would decompress with a good book. Now it was all about work. He gave me a copy of your first novel and told me to read. I'd never read your books before, so I sat down and began to read. I read it in one sitting. I wanted more and he lent me the three others he had. I read them in single sittings and loved them."

"Thank you?" Castle offered, not really sure what to say. It sounded somewhat self-serving, but he had to say something.

"Castle, your books allowed me to live again," she told him with genuine conviction.

"Excuse me?" he asked. He couldn't have heard that one right.

"I was at a point where work was all I cared about, all my mind was willing to focus on, and your mysteries allowed me to have an outlet, but still keep that investigative part of my mind satisfied," she reluctantly explained. Then she revealed the real kicker. "Because of that I developed a huge crush on you, that slowly developed into a whole lot more as I bought and read each of your books. I went o as many of your book signings as I could so I could have each of my copies signed. I Googled for anything having to do with upcoming novels. It got me through a very bad moment in my life, Castle."

"I'm not sure I understand why that's such an issue now," he said finally. He was really trying to understand, but he felt like he was missing something. "I'm flattered, and humbled, but still confused."

Kate could see that he was really trying to understand this. He was being the perfect gentleman, the kind of man she had come to realize he actually was, despite his wild Playboy image.

"Because I have real feelings for you now, Castle, but I don't know if they;re really separate from the feelings, and the reason for those feelings, that I have from when I got into your novels," she told him. "If this is something that we try, you deserve to be with someone who is sure of what her feelings are, and where they're from. Otherwise it just seems like some sort of lie."

Castle decided that his own issues paled in comparison to hers. She'd pretty much demonstrated that he could be exactly what she needed, regardless of the circumstances, and he would find a way to let her know just how humbled he was about her feelings about his novels. It made her reaction when he had replaced all of them with his own copies make more sense. He'd rarely seen Kate Beckett on the verge of tears, but she had been when she'd opened the wrapped box containing his books and she'd realized that they were his personal copies. So Castle decided to offer a safe way to move forward, totally eliminating his totally extroverted image.

"I don't think it's a lie," he told her, hoping that his tone of voice and the look on his face told her that he was being very serious. "But, how about we try this, but slowly. Go out on some dates, get to know one another a bit better. If it works out, then we can make some more steps forward. If it doesn't work out, then we can say we tried, but at least we didn't move too fast and ruin everything else."

Kate thought about this for a bit before answering. It seemed to make sense. She also got a sense of why it had taken five long years for Booth and Brennan to get together. They had never really talked honestly like this. Maybe they would have gotten together long before then, maybe not, but at least the anguish that those two had talked about may have been avoided before finally getting together. She made her decision.

"Okay, Castle," she told him, a smile gracing her features, a lot like the one when she told him he did remind her a lot of Hooch. A fun, yet serious, reaction.

Castle's eyes almost popped out of his head. "Really?" he asked. He'd expected a bit more hesitation, and a lot more conversation. He knew that even with this agreement that there would be a lot more discussion, they liked to bicker and banter a lot, after all, but this had seemed so easy. Booth and Brennan had screwed up by not ever really talking honestly with each other about this, he decided.

"Really," Kate replied. Then she got a teasing grin. "Just make sure you remember that warning at the airport," she told him.

"Oh?" he questioned, knowing exactly what she was talking about.

"Uh huh," she leveled a glare at him. "I may be interrogated by Martha and Lanie about our trip, and now about this _**development**_, but you're going to be talking with those two perverts we work with."

"I wouldn't say that they're perverts," Castle defended the guys.

"Just remember what happens if you flub it, Stubby," Kate warned, another smile on her lips.

"It's _**HAPPY**_, not _**STUBBY**_," Castle shot back, a smile on his own lips. Kate was the first person he'd ever known who could dish it out in a way that he felt perfectly safe responding in kind, despite the fact that he normally said whatever off the cuff remark that came to mind.

Before she could reply her cell phone rang.

"Beckett," she said with cool professionalism. She listened for a moment. "Okay, we'll be right there," she said and then hung up. "Come on, Mr. Happy, we've got a case," she said affectionately as she stood up.

"No rest for the wicked, eh, Beckett?" he asked, jokingly.

"You don't know how wicked I really am, Castle," she told him as they walked out the door.

"Oh, but I will soon, Kate," came Castle's reply as the door shut behind them.

_A/N: I wasn't sure how the discussion between them should play out, so I decided to make it based more on her issues and try and give a plausible explanation for her obsession over Castle's novels that was mentioned a few times during the course of the first and second season thus far. I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. I hope to have the final chapter done in a couple of days. Gregg._


	5. Chapter 5

_Well, here it is, the final chapter to this one. The whole point of this story was to have Castle and Beckett get together, but in the context of Booth and Bones helping them to see what was obvious to everyone. Thank you for all the reviews and encouragement. I am contemplating doing more crossovers with Bones and Castle, so this one may very well be the opening sequence. I hope you enjoy this concluding chapter. Gregg._

_Disclaimer: I don't own, or profit from, these characters or franchise. No copyright infringement is intended._

_**Five Months Later**_

Booth was the one who spotted them first. He'd been surprised as they had both said that they wouldn't be able to able to be here for the initial book signing that Bones was attending. Her new novel had already reached #2 on the New York Times bestseller list. It was being rumored that in another week or so it would be #1. Bones had insisted on Booth coming with her on the three city book signing tour, so now he was in the limelight with her. Now he understood why she hated these junkets so much. He made his way over to them.

"Hey," he said with a smile. "Bones said you guys couldn't make it today."

"We got a break on the case, so we had the time to come and see how it's going," Kate smiled. She'd been looking forward to seeing Booth and Brennan for some time now.

Castle was looking around, fascinated at the differences from his own book signings. "No groupies?" he asked. "No wild party? I'm seriously disappointed, Booth."

"Those days are over, Castle," Kate gave him the "look". It was the look that said if there were anymore wild parties in his life, then he'd better pray to God that she was by his side making sure he behaved himself. To be fair, he had been very much the perfect boyfriend, but Castle was Castle. Better to avoid temptation, no matter how honorable he'd proven himself to be.

"Yes, Mistress," Castle teased.

"Do we have to have yet another discussion about _**Stubby**_?" she asked with a raised brow. It always amused her when he joked about her "inner Dominatrix".

"Ahh, no," Castle retreated, a smile on his face. He loved it when she talked rough.

Booth sighed. He figured that he was destined to be surrounded by people who had no sense of restraint whatsoever. Bones he could understand, and even appreciate considering that he was now the man in her life, and would be forever. That last had been a miracle of epic proportions that had only happened a couple of nights before.

"Am I going to have to have a talk with the two of you about appropriate topics of conversation like I did with Bones?" he asked, a minor glare thrown in for good measure, though he couldn't deny being slightly amused.

"I still do not understand how a topic of interest can be inappropriate," Bones said as she came up to them, a smile lighting her face as she saw her and Booth's two friends. She'd made sure to keep in contact with Beckett for the last five months via e-mail and a few phone calls. She knew that Booth had also, and had even e-mailed Castle a few times discussing their mutual interest in sports.

"Accept it, Bones," Booth said simply. "It's easier that way. Remember, Booth is always right. That should make it simple, Bones."

"But you're not always right," Bones replied, her literal mind at work as always.

"I am on this, Bones," he told her with a roll of his eyes.

"But it makes no sense. If a topic is mutually interesting, how can it be inappropriate? Location has nothing to do with a persons natural curiosity, or desire to exchange ideas and points of view," she debated. She gave a half smile to Beckett, letting the other woman know she was just giving Booth a bad time.

"Castle's the same way," Beckett told Booth, letting the man know that in her, he had a sympathetic soul, though she enjoyed seeing Brennan putting Booth through his paces.

"She's right," Castle nodded in full agreement. "I have no shame, and I love a good, juicy conversation no matter where I am." Then he noticed something on Brennan's left hand. Her ring finger to be precise. "Now that is a surprise," he said, pointing his finger at the simple, but elegant, diamond engagement ring adorning Brennan's finger.

"Tell me about it," Booth grinned, earning him an elbow to the ribs. "Ow!"

"You know what I always have believed about marriage," Bones contended.

"That's why it's a divine miracle," Booth replied smoothly. He didn't mention the fact that he'd gone to confession immediately after the startling development and confessed to almost anything imaginable in order to keep the Big Guy on his side. Let's face it. Bones wanting to get married was a miracle in itself. Having it stay that way needed some extra time from the Man Upstairs' busy schedule. He didn't mention that part to Bones, though. That would earn him some serious pain.

"I don't believe in God," Bones said with a quirk of her brow.

"That doesn't mean he's not real, Bones, and I prefer to err on the side of caution," Booth explained. "So, are we done here?" he asked, seeing that she was about to extend the mini-debate. Best to cut that one off at the knees. He had enough to confess every week, after all, and her in full on debate and bicker mode always brought on a myriad of impure thoughts that just had to be acted out later on. He made a note to see if it was possible to confess by proxy. He knew he himself was going to be facing some time in Purgatory anyway, but Bones must have racked up some serious time there given that she had never confessed, and thus repented and gained absolution, and he wanted her with him when he finally got promoted to his heavenly reward.

"Uh, huh," Bones said, a smile on her lips knowing she had flustered Booth just a bit.

"We were hoping you would be interested in joining us for lunch," Kate offered, smiling at their two friends. It really was amazing to her that such a close friendship had survived, and miraculously turned into a very solid personal relationship.

"Hot dogs at Yankee Stadium," Booth suggested. "The Phillie's are in town and playing this afternoon!"

"Only if you agree to become a vegetarian afterwards and settle for tofu hot dogs and burgers from now on," Bones teased, knowing he'd made his suggestion with full knowledge that she would veto it.

"No can do, Bones," Booth shot back. "I'm a meat and potatoes man."

"And I see a full physical in your future to check on how your arteries are doing, among other things," she smiled back.

"As long as I'm not eating tofu, Bones," Booth smiled back. A guy could only bend so far, after all. A physical, as unnecessary as it was, was a small price to pay when it came to being with Bones. Tofu, though? Bleh!

"How about going back to my place and I'll cook," Castle suggested.

"As odd as it may seem, Castle is an excellent cook," Kate informed them.

"As long as you are able to prepare a vegetarian lunch for me," Bones said bluntly, but softened a bit at Booth's wince. She'd once again come across wrong somehow, but she was only being honest. She was a vegetarian and didn't want to have Castle cook for them and then she turns down lunch. That would be rude, too. She made a note to discuss with Booth a prioritizing of rudeness so that she could weigh the choices when no matter what she said could be considered rude. It could wait for later, though.

"That won't be a problem," Castle assured her with a grin. He liked Brennan. She was direct and pulled no punches. Just like Kate, though Kate was a more people oriented person than Brennan was. "My Mother and daughter are there, also."

They made their way out to Kate and Castle's vehicle. Booth and Bones had taken a cab from the hotel since they hadn't wanted to rent a car that weekend. It made things inconvenient at times, but also easier in some ways. Neither knew New York incredibly well from a driving standpoint.

"Nice ride!" Booth said as they approached the black SUV. It was an almost exact duplicate of the FBI vehicles that were now being used. This one, he could see, was a very new model.

"Castle bought it after we worked on a case with Special Agent Shaw a couple of months before we met you," Kate explained. "He got one that matches what the FBI issues and souped it up so it's as close as he could get it to an FBI vehicle."

"I explained, Kate, that your car was crap and the spring in the passenger seat was killing me," Castle patiently defended his beloved **Fed Mobile** as he lovingly called it.

"My car was perfectly suited for work," Kate defended her old vehicle, which was now sitting in the junk yard. When he'd gotten his Fed Mobile, he'd also gotten her a brand new Lexus. She had tried to make him take back the car as it was too lavish of a gift, but he'd refused.

"Crap, Kate," Castle said as they drove down the busy street. "It was pure crap. Can you honestly say you don't enjoy your own new toy?"

"You purchased Kate a sex toy?" Bones asked curiously.

"Bones!" Booth hissed. Only Bones could take a discussion about cars and turn it into one about sex toys!

"What?" she asked. "I think it's very modern and very appropriate that a boyfriend would be interested in enhancing his girlfriend's sexual pleasure by purchasing her a sex toy. Why haven't you ever purchased me a sex toy?"

"Bones," Booth groaned. "He bought her a car, not a sex toy."

"Oh," Bones said when she understood where she had messed up once again. She decided to dig at him a bit more, though. "Why haven't you ever purchased me a sex toy?" she asked again.

"A guy isn't much of a guy if his girl needs a sex toy, Bones," Booth said quickly, though he knew that Bones would revisit that humiliating topic again, and at length, in the near future. "Can we please change the subject now?" he almost pleaded.

"Alright," Bones said with a sigh, "but we will discuss gender roles and gender identity at length this evening." She added that one with a serious look in her eyes.

"I'm looking forward to it," Booth said between clenched teeth. He was very relieved when the SUV pulled into a parking garage and they got out.

"The two of you are the perfect Yin and Yang," Castle remarked when they got into the elevator.

"I've been thinking the same thing," Beckett said as the elevator stopped on Castle's floor.

"We have our moments," Booth chuckled. After all these years of Bones literalness he should hardly be surprised at anything Bones said or did, but she always had ways of shocking him. Or horrifying him as the case may be.

"Welcome to my humble abode," Castle said as he opened the door to his apartment and ushered them in.

"Wow," Booth said as he took it all in.

"Care for a tour?" Castle said as his Mother and Alexis walked down the stairs. He turned to them. "Mother, Alexis, these two lost souls are FBI Special Agent Seeley Booth and his partner, and now fiancée, Dr. Temperance Brennan."

"The author?" Alexis asked, a bit enthusiastically. She'd read the woman's novels and really enjoyed them. She loved her Dad's, but Brennan's seemed more rooted in science and reality to her.

"Uh, huh," Castle smiled. "Booth, Brennan, this is my Mother, Martha, and my beautiful daughter, Alexis."

Castle let them exchange pleasantries and he went into the kitchen and got out the items he planned on for lunch. If he'd had this planned he would have done an oriental meal, but this was not going to be a planned engagement, so he decided to keep it simple. He got out some hamburger meat, some seasonings, and all the side items for the burgers. He also pulled out the veggie burgers, figuring that Brennan would settle for that, and then got out a few more simple things.

"Need any help?" Booth asked as he walked into the impressive kitchen area. He'd made a quick trip upstairs to see the home movie theater that Castle had put in and then came back down, letting the girls talk amongst themselves. He'd ignored the glare that Bones sent his way when he went slinking off. Bones still did not do girl talk with anyone other than Angela, and occasionally Cam.

"Does Brennan eat veggie burgers?" Castle asked, gesturing to the item he bought only on protest as his Mother liked them. He enjoyed his real meat, just like Booth.

Booth looked at the package and recognized it from some of the items in Bones' freezer. "Yeah, that should do," he replied.

"You can start making patties out of the meat, while I cut up the lettuce, onions, and tomatoes," Castle suggested.

Forty minutes later they were all eating their burgers and fries, though, as usual, Bones was stealing Booth's fries once she'd finished her own. Bones spent some of the time explaining to Martha and Alexis about her work outside of the work she did for the FBI. Booth talked about Parker and what he enjoyed doing with Bones and his son. By the end of the meal a lot had been said about the group, and they all liked each other.

"So how did the miracle happen?" Castle inquired, a glance at the ring on Brennan's finger explaining what he was interested in.

"It was not a miracle," Bones argued. "It was a logical development in our relationship."

"Logical for most everyone else, Bones, but not necessarily for us," Booth countered.

"Why wouldn't it be logical for you?" Martha asked, genuinely curious. She really liked these two.

"I don't believe in marriage," Bones answered directly. The she looked at Booth. "Except for with Booth, of course."

"Why don't you believe in marriage?" Alexis asked. She loved the idea of marriage and wondered how anyone could not like the idea. With the right person, of course.

"It's an archaic and demeaning institution designed to keep women subservient to men," Bones answered bluntly.

"And I assume Booth knows your views?" Martha asked. Nothing in this world really phased her anymore. Now she was just naturally curious.

"Of course," Bones replied. "We've had numerous discussions over the years on the subject, though in the abstract."

"_Ad nauseum_," Booth added with a grimace.

"Knowing her views what convinced you to propose?" Martha asked. She could see that her son, granddaughter, and Kate were interested in that as well.

"He didn't propose, I did," Bones informed them. She smiled over at Booth and saw him wishing he could simply slip through the cracks in the floor. "It's nothing to be embarrassed about, Booth. It's not your fault I found the ring."

"So you did plan on proposing?" Alexis broke in.

"Well, uh, maybe," Booth replied. "I got the ring the day after we decided to give a relationship a try. Call it wishful thinking, but I wanted to be prepared. I just never expected Bones to be the one to do the proposing."

"Was there anything wrong in how I proposed?" Bones asked.

"NO!" Booth answered quickly. That was one of those guaranteed to screw you up questions if you delayed at all in answering, and answering correctly. "It was great, Bones, just great."

"You suffered a concussion," Bones reminded him.

"Bones, they don't need any details," Booth implored her, but to no avail.

"How do you get a concussion from being proposed to?" Beckett, ever the detective, honed in on the injury part of the story.

"He didn't look where he was walking as I proposed and ran into the door frame," Bones replied.

"I was too looking where I was going!" Booth protested. "You can't expect such a shocking question not to cause someone to crank their head around to see if they were hearing right, now can you?"

After that things calmed down and Booth and Bones told the whole story for Martha and Alexis' benefit. Once they had all been caught up on the lives of Booth and Bones, it was Castle and Beckett's turn to let their two friends know how well their own relationship was going. Once they finished with all the discussion, Kate spoke up.

"It's because of the two of you that me and Castle are together," she told the pair. She wanted them to know that the friendly advice had been very beneficial.

"You would have gotten there eventually," Booth demurred.

"Probably, but not as soon, and not as easily," Castle added. He looked at his watch. "We better get these two back to their hotel. We've got that meeting with Montgomery and the Mayor in a little while," he reminded Kate. He didn't really give two figs about a meeting, but it was the price he paid being involved with Kate Beckett, and that was good enough for him.

Once everyone had gone Alexis was helping Martha clean up. "Kate and Dad and Booth and Brennan really prove that opposites attract, huh, Grandma?" she observed in a direct, but questioning manner.

Martha smiled. "It's even simpler than that, Darling," she said with a wink. "They were made for each other!"

"Soulmates?" Alexis questioned.

Martha gave her granddaughter a hug. "Exactly, my Dear. Exactly."

_A/N: I have, during the course of writing this chapter, firmly decided to write a prequel to this one that shows how Booth confronted Bones and got the relationship we've all been wanting, another story that is a one shot showing Bones' proposal, and then concluding story that takes place after this but shows how Castle and Beckett finally end up. I hope you all enjoyed this final chapter for this story. Gregg._


End file.
